The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-05-12


lyon think they are the secrets of love;
but o thousandfold more is hidden within
them. Given to the world, they would
not lie understood and would compromise,
perhaps ruin many. Burn them, and my
blessing be upon you; fail to do so and the
curses of the dead, have they power to
curse, will fall upon you" a.
II have promised, sworn and will not
fail"
An hour later the young lieutenant had
gone to answer the call of the numberless
army beyond the skies With his own
hands his FREUD and comrGdc was forced
to encOffin his form. Assisted by heay-
lily brihed colored man, it was carried to
the last resting place of earth and buried
with single, silent prayer.
Poor fellowr' sighed his former COM
panion as nc sat in his quarters with the
shadows of evening gathering around. II
did all possible for him, buried him be-
meath the shade, the blossoms and the per-
fumes he loved. All me! l may he the
next to follow; and should we meet on the
gold and jeweled parade ground of heaven
L can stand before him with an unshamcd
face, for have faithfully done my duty
to him and kept my oath"
In the sorrowful excitement of death
and burial he had entirely forgotten the
package of letters. 1t lay upon the table
where he had placed 1.-THE most i'm
portant part of all intrusted to him neg
| Iected.
As the shadows deepened and the night
wind stole in laden with honey sweetness
that was Sickening, his ear caught the
sound of light foot&tcp. lie challenged
the intruder, but received no answer
looked up almost angrily at his privacy
being disturbed and saw
Moon and starlight so filled the room
that every object was plainly to be distin-
guished, and standing by the table, with
one hand resting upon the package of let
tiers, and dressed even as he had been
buried in his uniform, was his dead
friend!
Doubling the evidence of his senses, to
| convince himself that he was not dream
ing, he arose and concentrated all his
powers Of vision upon the single object
AS certainly as lie had ever been he was
| awake; as surely as ever he saw mortal
| the form was that of Pettrie, and upon
| the face rested a sorroWful frown.
81 understand" johnson exclaimed in
voluntarily, land will fulfill my oath to
the uttermOst."
The frown changed to smile, the eyes
| were lighted, the hand was raised from
| the package of letters to Heaven, and the
| figure slowly faded away.
Thrilled, dazed, not in the least fearing,
| but driven by an overmastering impulse,
| the lieutenant arose, kindlcd fire, seated
| himself before it and burned the letters
| one by one, even stirring the ashes to
| make complete alnalgamation with those
| of the wood.
1t hal grown late before he finished,
l~,.A
sleep. He had fulfilled all that could
possibly he required, and yet was not sat
isfied. The face ard figure of his dead
friend haunted him. He must know if
| his rest was unhroken, if he slept as he
had left him beneath the wilderness of
bloom of roses and the tangle sprays of
myrtle.
With the single feeling of reverence he
went out into the night, trcaded tho de-
serted parade ground, passed the limit
and stood by the newly made grave. All
| was silence and peace. The breeze
| scarcely swung the bells Of the trumpet
| flower or scattered the perfume of the
| jasmine.
With sigh of intense relief he was
srbout to retraCe his STEPS, when he heard
his name distinctly called. He looked
| again and saw, even as he had done in
| life, the form, the uniform of Charles
| Pcttrie. The pose was n military one, the
| eyes looked tendcrly and thankfully, the
| lips were parted with o smile, 3here was
the customary salute and the spirit sem
| blarcc, the "aStral body" slowly sank
| within the grave AND ncy.r sCain ap-
p2ared to the eyes of the wondering man.
| The fulGilmcnt Of the oath had severed
| the mysterious chain that linked together
! the dead and the living.